First time cruise

[Saddleshoes]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in April on Carnival Sunshine to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. How long is the check in procedure? and how is it done? Is it first come first served or do they call you for processing by name or cabin? We will each be bringing only a carry on bag. At St.Maartens and St. Kitts we plan to visit beaches by taxi for the day, renting chairs etc. I am packing a beach bag but bought my husband a new bathing suit with pockets to hopefully put in a plastic bag our boarding card and some cash. Is this how others do it? Am nervous leaving our money and pass in the bag on the beach while we swim. Thank you for your advice.

 

[Keith1010]

Welcome o Cruse Critic and congratulations on your upcoming 50th Wedding Anniversary.

 

I would post this on the Carnival Cruise Line Board where you can get these and other Carnival Cruise Line related questions answered.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=215

 

Keith

[Clarea]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in April on Carnival Sunshine to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. How long is the check in procedure? and how is it done? Is it first come first served or do they call you for processing by name or cabin? We will each be bringing only a carry on bag. At St.Maartens and St. Kitts we plan to visit beaches by taxi for the day, renting chairs etc. I am packing a beach bag but bought my husband a new bathing suit with pockets to hopefully put in a plastic bag our boarding card and some cash. Is this how others do it? Am nervous leaving our money and pass in the bag on the beach while we swim. Thank you for your advice.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I also use a waterproof water wallet and put that in the swimsuit pocket. Very useful.:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

You may also be interested in joining your Roll Call where you can see what others are doing. Maybe even several of you can get together to go to the beaches.

Just scroll down until you find the date of your cruise for your Roll Call at this link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=803

[KirkNC]

Welcome to cruise critic.

[cb at sea]

When you get to the dock, you will will go thru security, then get in line to check in...just like in a hotel. Only those who arrive very early and have FTTF or are in suites will go ahead of you. Once those folks have checked in...it's 1st come, 1st served. So..if you arrive around 11:30 am, those folks will have checked in and boarded...and you'll simply get in line. It's not that long of a procedure.

[Bonnie J.]

Welcome!

We love the Sunshine and have been on her many times. We drive and stay in a hotel near the port. We take their 1st shuttle to the port and get there around 11am. We then head to the buffet for lunch.

It is a first come, first served as far as getting on the ship. There is a VERY large area where you wait to check in. We are Diamond so are the 1st to get on. Diamond & Platinum have their own area and are the 1st to get on.

My husband puts his sign 'n sail card and driver's license and cash in his velcro bathing suit pocket. The cards are like plastic and wet money is fine. I leave mine in my short's pocket which goes into our beach bag with our tops. We do take one credit card and very little cash- maybe $20-$30- enough for a cab. We are not shoppers, take water with us in a thermos and do not eat off the ship.

The Sunshine has 3 decks that are Serenity, 11, 12 & 14 in the bow. (there is no deck 13 on ships). There are only 2 elevators that go there, the ones in the front of the ship. Serenity decks are for adults only and there is no smoking here and they mean that! Deck 11 has a pool with a water fall from deck 14, chaises and some umbrellas and I don't know what to call them but they're like a big 1/2 covered wicker ball you lay in. Deck 12 has chairs in sun and like small sofas that are in complete shade. This is where we go all day. There are thick pads on everything on the Serenity decks.

You can get towels on deck 14, there is a complete bar here and a large hot tub, hammocks, chaises and what are as big and like a bed, tables with umbrellas and chairs.

The old CD has left and she led Mardi Gras night standing on the atrium bar. Other CDs, when she was on vacation, also led it there. Its fun to go to.

Congratulations on 50 years! Make sure you tell your waiter of your celebration!

[gwsster]

Good thinking about how to protect items on the beach. Last trip didn't have anything and spent $$$ at the resort for a lanyard style that was too cumbersome. I just bought waterproof waist packs made by Blue Sky found on a popular shopping site for my upcoming beach trips. The Blue Sky ones are large enough to hold cell phones and cards and cash, yet not bulky, there are others on the market too. I like the waist packs over the Lanyards (too small for phones). I did a practice test by drowning the pack in the kitchen sink and so far the stuff inside stayed dry, just wipe down the outside before opening the pack to retrieve the goodies inside.

 

 

I am packing a beach bag but bought my husband a new bathing suit with pockets to hopefully put in a plastic bag our boarding card and some cash. Is this how others do it? Am nervous leaving our money and pass in the bag on the beach while we swim. Thank you for your advice.

 

[/i]

[marshhawk]

saddleshoes, you just got a whole lot of info, and unless you have been reading CC for years and never posting, a whole lot of jargon.

 

Faster to the Fun (FTTF)is a perk that you can pay for, it allows you to get on the ship after the Diamond and Platinum category of folks get on the ship. These are people who have cruised a lot and earned "early on ship" as a benefit. Faster to the Fun, allows you on early, allows you to go to your cabin and leave your belongings off, (before any one else has entry to the cabin area) put your money in the safe, yes, there is a safe in each cabin, and then walk up to get lunch on the lido (study the deck plan on line).

 

I agree, see if your cruising has a roll call, join up and if you can split the expense of cabs. (being on a roll call kind of helps with the excitement too).

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise-

 

oh, and boarding- make sure that if you are carrying on (one bottle of wine each) that it is in your carry on. You must print your boarding passes, and have them with your passport before you even get into the line. You will go through a security line, and wait, they will then put you into another line, so that you can get your sail and sign card and hand in your health information sheet. They will give you a boarding number, and you will sit until your boarding number is called. Then you get in line, and then you get a picture taken of you and the spouse in front of the "fake" ship photo, then you show your sail and sign card to someone, who puts it into a machine, and the card "dings" and then you get back in line, and walk onto the ship, where they take your card again, and put it into the machine, and you hear a ding, and you are THERE!

[Saddleshoes]

Thankyou so much to all who replied to my Newbie questions. Its a big deal for us and rather intimidating taking our first cruise. We have never been big travelers so are nervous and anxious to learn exactly what to do etc. I do appreciate your good wishes and welcome and all the info you all shared!